Python Surpasses JavaScript on GitHub After 10 Years
Hello HaWkers, the Octoverse 2024 report from GitHub brought historic news: Python finally surpassed JavaScript as the most used language on the platform, ending a 10-year streak of JavaScript dominance.
But before declaring the "end of JavaScript", let's analyze what's really happening and what this means for developers of both languages.
The Octoverse 2024 Numbers
GitHub's annual report analyzes billions of events on the platform:
2024 Language Ranking
| Position | Language | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Python | +1 |
| 2 | JavaScript | -1 |
| 3 | TypeScript | = |
| 4 | Java | = |
| 5 | C# | +1 |
| 6 | C++ | -1 |
| 7 | PHP | = |
| 8 | Shell | = |
| 9 | C | = |
| 10 | Go | +2 |
Growth By Language
Biggest growth (2023-2024):
- Python: +22%
- TypeScript: +18%
- Rust: +45%
- Go: +15%
- Jupyter Notebooks: +35%
Stagnant or declining:
- JavaScript: +2%
- PHP: -3%
- Ruby: -8%
- Perl: -15%
Why Python Surpassed JavaScript
Python's rise is no accident. Several factors contributed:
1. The Artificial Intelligence Boom
The biggest driver of Python's growth is, without a doubt, AI:
AI/ML Ecosystem:
- TensorFlow
- PyTorch
- scikit-learn
- Hugging Face Transformers
- LangChain
Statistics:
- 80% of AI projects use Python
- 95% of ML papers have Python code
- Python AI libraries: 50,000+
2. Data Science and Analytics
Python dominates the data world:
Popular tools:
- Pandas
- NumPy
- Matplotlib
- Jupyter Notebooks
Corporate adoption:
- 70% of Fortune 500 companies use Python for analytics
- Data Scientists prefer Python 4:1 over R
- 40% growth in data science jobs
3. Automation and Scripts
Python has become the standard language for automation:
Use cases:
- DevOps and infrastructure
- Web scraping
- Task automation
- System integration
4. Education and Accessibility
Python is the most taught language in universities:
Educational statistics:
- 80% of top 50 universities teach Python
- #1 language for beginners
- More accessible syntax than JavaScript
JavaScript Is Not Dead
Before any panic, let's put things in perspective:
JavaScript Continues to Dominate In
1. Frontend Web Development
- 100% of browsers run JavaScript
- React, Vue, Angular continue to grow
- No viable alternative for web interactivity
2. Full-Stack Development
- Node.js remains popular
- Frameworks like Next.js on the rise
- TypeScript complements JavaScript
3. Mobile Applications
- React Native
- Expo
- Ionic
4. Desktop
- Electron (VS Code, Slack, Discord)
- Tauri (lighter alternative)
Real Popularity Metrics
| Metric | JavaScript | Python |
|---|---|---|
| Websites using | 98% | 1.5% |
| NPM downloads/week | 50B+ | N/A |
| PyPI downloads/week | N/A | 5B+ |
| Stack Overflow questions | 2.5M | 2.1M |
| Job openings | ~150k | ~120k |
What's Really Happening
The "overtaking" reflects changes in GitHub usage, not necessarily in the total market:
GitHub-Specific Factors
1. AI/ML Projects
- Thousands of new AI repos
- Many are forks of popular projects
- Jupyter Notebooks count as Python
2. AI Tools
- LangChain exploded in 2024
- Autonomous agent projects
- Wrappers for AI APIs
3. Data Automation
- ETL pipelines
- Processing scripts
- Cloud integrations
Metric Limitations
What GitHub measures:
- Lines of code committed
- Number of repositories
- Contributions
What it DOESN'T measure:
- Code in production
- Web applications in use
- Proprietary code
Implications For Your Career
What this means for developers:
If You're a JavaScript Developer
Don't worry:
- The web market remains strong
- React/Vue/Angular won't disappear
- Full-stack JS is valuable
Consider:
- Learning Python as a second language
- Understanding AI/ML basics
- TypeScript if you don't use it yet
If You're a Python Developer
Take advantage of the moment:
- AI/ML jobs are high
- Competitive salaries
- Growing demand
Consider:
- Specializing in AI/ML
- Learning modern frameworks (FastAPI)
- Combining with cloud skills
General Recommendation
The best strategy is to be a pragmatic polyglot:
For web:
- JavaScript/TypeScript + modern framework
For data/AI:
- Python + relevant libraries
For systems:
- Go or Rust
Predictions For 2025-2026
Based on current trends:
Python
Expected growth:
- Will continue to lead in AI/ML
- More automation tools
- Greater enterprise adoption
Challenges:
- Performance in web production
- Rust competition in systems
- Python 2 vs 3 fragmentation finally resolved
JavaScript
Expected stability:
- Web dominance maintained
- TypeScript growing
- Alternative runtimes (Bun, Deno)
Opportunities:
- AI arriving at frontend
- WebAssembly complementing
- Richer web experiences
Conclusion
Python surpassing JavaScript on GitHub is a historic milestone, but it doesn't mean the end of JavaScript. What we're seeing is ecosystem diversification: Python dominates data and AI, while JavaScript dominates the web.
For developers, the message is clear: being proficient in multiple languages is increasingly valuable. Instead of picking a side, consider how to combine the strengths of each language to maximize your opportunities.
If you want to understand more about how the development market is evolving, I recommend checking out another article: Junior Developer Market in 2025 where you'll discover strategies to stand out in the current scenario.
Let's go! 🦅
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